Dusty Flight Bag

Sounds like a normal "workout" to get skills up.

Comment on the speed issue: Stop chasing it. Go find out exactly what power setting and trim gives you a 500 fpm descent at your desired approach speed out in the practice area, and just SET it when you turn final for a little while.

A few laps should do it. Work on where and when to turn and the sight picture. Then work back in MINOR power changes. Convince yourself that your airplane will fly hands off at whatever speed you want it to.

And use that trim. Trim trim trim.

Try to force yourself to realize that the airplane will happily fly one speed and hold your desired speed exactly for you if you set the power correctly and trim it and leave it alone.

Once you get that concept you can use all the newly non-busy brain cells for other things and the speed will virtually take care of itself.

Obviously you can tweak it, but remind yourself that every power change means a TRIM change to go with it.

And then again mentally tell yourself to leave it alone until you've made a different decision. Flight path too high, reduce power a bit and re-trim and see what it gets you. Too low, add power and re-trim.

Think in terms of you're setting a known power and pitch and it'll always lead to a specific speed.

Sure in big gusts it'll be all over the place. If it's not settling into the speed and setup you want, make corrections but make them deliberate and pause slightly to see what you got from the change. If it gets too wild, just go around.
 
On the first base I can tell you're not using a consistent ground marker or technique to know where to start the turn. The CFI is equidistant away from the road as a the airport is away from it.

Remember pattern work relates to all the ground reference maneuvers.

Last one isn't that awful. It comes back pretty quick. The cross wind is making both his and yours a little oblong. Easy to fix that with set ground references at an airport that you know, and lining up on them every time.

At airports you don't know you have to use some more relative things. The old "halfway up the strut" for the downwind runway location and "start down when the runway is 45 degrees off the wingtip" type things can help to get in the right place and then pick the ground markers at an unfamiliar field.

Hey at least you stayed in the same county and didn't run out of gas getting back to the airport! ;-)
 
Congrats, you're doing great. many of us have been where you are, just keep going for it and before you know it you'll be on the other side of the fence when someone else wants to get back into flying and you'll be posting what you went through....:yes::yes::yes:
 
FIG - soon enough you'll be flying in and out of Hobby with your eyes closed.


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Welcome back to the skies. You're making great progress. I just had a flight review yesterday and it was the first time I had logged in almost 2 years. It comes back quickly, although I will say that I had just over 380 hours in 13 years coming into this. Nice being current again, too.
 
I made the same flight yesterday getting my Arrow back to T-41 from a little maintenance...glad to see we are plus one around here!
 
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